I Will Never, Not Ever Eat Cinnamon
by RootsOfAHotelWindow
Summary: I wanted to make some Swan Queen, spoilers up until 4x08 (Smash the Mirror). Regina has noticed the Charming family trait of cinnamon on their hot chocolates and she does not approve. Until she does.


**I Will Never, Not Ever Eat Cinnamon**

Ever since Henry had bought his birth mother home, many things had troubled Regina. One in particular overarched all others.

"Seriously, what's with all the hot chocolate! Does she think it'll help her get closer to Henry? Does she think it makes her look _cute_?" Regina choked on her words slightly when she noticed Sidney had been nodding along until her last point, which he looked slightly appalled at. Regina felt her blood pressure go up, but in true Evil Queen style, she raged on. "Why would dry powder on top of a hot chocolate even be palatable, never mind the family trait!"

"I know, Regina. It's a plague. It must be stopped. Surely, Granny could be reminded of another long-forgotten Storybrooke law?"

Regina felt sour. Somehow, Sidney's meek countenance and his eagerness to get in with Regina by any means, including hopping on her latest vengeance train, did not sit well in her mind next to the thought of Emma.

"Precious little Saviour!" Regina hissed as she flounced out of the room.

* * *

They should have seen it coming. From fighting over Graham, to fighting over sheriffdom, nothing was so encapsulating as fighting over Henry.

Manhandling permitted, dark curses frowned upon.

Regina was left alternatively sitting back and watching Ms Swan be thwarted by Regina's complete control and fuming with jealously when Henry still went back to her. When Emma's kiss broke the curse, Regina was not happy.

She could have done it just as well, Regina thought, she loved Henry just as much as Emma. More, in face, as Regina's love was not given lightly. She had never loved anyone else on this land and Emma had Henry's father, whoever he may be, her new-found parents and even the briefest of moments with Sheriff Graham, and they were all competing with her love for Henry.

So when Regina felt her resolve against Henry's other mother softening (which was probably also the moment she started acknowledging the blonde as such), Regina justified it, after all Emma saved her from being tortured, saved her from a wraith, looked after her son for a year...

It would only be fair to Henry to be civil.

This didn't mean she was going to start putting dust on her own hot drinks.

* * *

Regina finally got to prove she had true love for Henry. It was with a triumphant smile that she lifted her head when she finally looked away from her boy towards Emma, but to Regina's shock and dismay, she found no malice there. Only genuine happiness.

Regina turned away, embarrassed of herself, and found herself eye to eye with Robin Hood. Somehow, she had to muster the smile meant for him rather than allowing it to come so easily.

* * *

"She's cast the eternal winter curse!" Regina shouted as she felt the magic draining at her own.

"Like in the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?" Henry quipped. Regina flashed him a smile, which turned to horror as the Snow Queen sent an errant bolt into his chest.

Henry had fallen, luckily into David's arms.

"His heart will be frozen," Rumplestiltskin yelled.

"Like Marian's," Robin Hood said quietly. Regina sighed at his indecision. Of course, he was her true love, but it was so hard dealing with a man who couldn't decide which way was up.

They had...renewed their acquaintance in Regina's vault. Regina had then got a fretful call from Henry that Emma was missing, and she and Robin had rushed off to join the search. They had found her, and the usual touchy-feely 'I will always find you!' followed from the Charmings. Regina refused to acknowledge any guilt; how did would she know Emma was suffering with her powers? Regina was much too busy, and okay Emma had said that they were friends... Regina's legs were moving her to Emma, seemingly of their own accord, when the Snow Queen had attacked.

And now Henry was in trouble.

"I've seen this before," Elsa gasped. "To unfreeze his heart, you need an act of-"

"True love, we at least know that by now." Regina spared a scathing look for Elsa, before she leaned over her son. There was a flash of long blonde hair opposite him that Regina barely registered.

Another icy blast knocked everything off kilter. Truly, everything.

David lost his balance and fell down hard on the concrete, but with his grip still strong around Henry. Regina felt Robin's arm shoot out, possibly to steady her but he ended up pushing her forward.

Which would have been perfect for kissing Henry, had there not been someone on the other side.

Neither of them had ever enacted true love's kiss on the lips, so they weren't quite prepared for the difference between this and the mother's kiss they had place on Henry.

From the first brush of their lips against each other, Regina could feel the power emanating all around her, but she didn't care. She was focused on Emma and how Regina had to have more.

Regina kissed Emma harder. The magic pulsed around them and Emma fall on top of Regina. Emma's fingers dug into Regina's side, hard. Regina didn't want to get up anyway, but then she realised with a soft moan, she was trapped.

Emma's eyes had darkened at the sound and she took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Regina could taste the faintest impression of cinnamon and it drove her further into Emma, searching for that taste. Regina smirked as this caused Emma to lose her stability and crash down onto Regina.

A spark of electricity flared at the side of Regina's vision as she felt the warmth of Emma's jean-covered crotch through her skirt. If only she just adjust their positions slightly-

"Uh guys, Henry." David's cough snapped them out of it.

Emma nearly threw herself from Regina. The blonde touched her lips and looked at them.

"Henry!" Snow White gestured at Regina.

Regina swooped down to kiss Henry and Storybrooke felt the power of true love's kiss for the second time that day.

"Are you okay? The Snow Queen sent an ice blast through your heart!"

"I'm fine," Henry smiled at his mother for a moment before his face grew serious. "What about the eternal winter curse? How will we stop that?"

* * *

Regina pulled Emma to the side for a moment, grateful that Robin Hood had never seen true love's kiss break a curse and that Hook was thrown enough to stay away.

"Swan, we have to talk about this."

Emma barked out a laugh. "Seriously? True love's kiss take your memory too?"

Regina drew herself up, concerned. "What happened?"

"I only meant my name. Emma. Being Henry's other Mom, I would have thought you'd know my name." Emma's smirk suddenly dropped. "I didn't mean we were together, I meant we're both his mother. Separately."

Regina would never admit that she felt a tug on her heartstrings that the Saviour, who could break any curse, stand up to any foe, would be stammering over a conversation with her. In fact Regina had nearly had her heart broken by the events with Robin Hood; she would not allow someone who had so often been her rival to twist her around so quickly.

Emma was still looking intensely at the ground when she said, "That kiss was amazing."

Even if that was the next thing to come out of her mouth. Regina wouldn't.

"It was." Regina said coldly. "You tasted like cinnamon." Regina then resumed glaring at Emma who had looked up in shock.

"Uh, but we can't even think about it, I mean you've got your true love and it would just really confuse Henry-"

"A person can have more than one true love." Regina surprised herself with the abruptness she had interrupted Emma with. Of course, it was because Emma was her student, and Regina couldn't have it said about her that her students didn't even have a basic understanding of true love lore. "I had Daniel, you had Neal, Aurora has Philip and Mulan, you get the gist." Regina stated in what she hoped was a blasé voice.

"You don't want- me and you and Robin Hood?" Emma's eyes had widened

"And Hook, if the rumours have been true," Regina muttered snarkily.

Regina looked past her for a brief moment, and noticed that Rumplestiltskin and Elsa had actually managed to contain the Snow Queen. She looked back and Emma was still reeling from Regina's comment.

"Emma?" Regina asked softly, tapping her on the shoulder to rouse her. A few errant flickers of electricity pulsed over Emma's skin and Regina went to pull her hand away, concerned it was hurting Emma but she closed her hand over Regina's and held it there.

"No," Emma said, "It's okay."

* * *

"My moms kissed?" Henry's voice rang out clearly. Their secluded moment in the corner was shattered by the rest of Emma's family's arrival and Regina thought, _There's more of them than me,_ as she definitely did not hurry away and leave the Charmings to deal with Henry's questions. She was back in town and just turning the last corner before her road when she had to step into the road to avoid two of the fairies.

"Oh, so sorry Regina," Blue nearly walked into Regina.

Regina didn't have the energy to give her an Evil Queen look, so she merely commented, "The Snow Queen has been contained."

"That's wonderful news," Blue allowed with a small smile. "See," Blue turned to Tink, "Imagine if you'd been allowed near all that."

Regina winced slightly at the severe look her former friend was being given, but she continued walking, glad to stay out of it. Even with her new hero persona, her magic was entirely different to fairy magic.

"I can't believe you thought that enchantment was to find true love! It is a path to true love, not necessarily the true love! Did you really think Ariel's true love was a _ship?_ "

Regina stopped and slowly turned around. "I'm sorry, did Tinkerbell have an issue with something?"

Tink had picked up on Regina's dangerous vibe, but Blue remained ignorant and her reply was still said with the tone of a scathing school teacher. "The spell Tink thinks is for finding the one you're meant to be with, it only leads you to an object, or some cases, human, that leads you to your true love." Blue paused a minute and with a martyred look, glared at Tink. "So you thought Nova's true love was a pick-axe?"

"So if a person were to... push one person out of the way, hypothetically into the arms of their real true love..."

"Exactly!" Blue beamed at her. "The spell will find the person who pushes, not the true love. Honestly," Blue scoffed at Tink, "What the world's coming to when an Evil Queen knows fairy magic better than a fairy, I don't know..."

* * *

"So. You and Emma."

Regina looked up. She did look up, she was totally ready to face her son's questioning on this issue. And the mug she held to her lips, not drinking, but rather using it as a partial barrier? Well it was useless anyway, two sheriffs in one town and no one interrogated as well as Henry.

"That's not really a question." Regina smiled at Henry and used her slightly burry memories of being the Evil Queen to gather the strength to put her mug down.

Henry was still grinning. It wasn't going away. Where were the questions? Regina was sure she was only panicking internally, but she was grateful for Granny's interruption either way.

"How're you feeling Henry?" The women smiled down at him. He nodded sweetly and the two made small talk about the ice queen until Regina took a real sip of her drink.

"Is this the way you usually make my coffee? It feels like something's missing."

Granny raised her eyebrow, ever unimpressed when someone faulted her culinary skills. Then she smirked. "Well, a little bird told me that there's something you like the taste of very much."

"I do hope that little bird wasn't Snow White's, I don't need atrocious amounts of sugar and cream and everything sweet."

"I think she means a metaphorical little bird." Henry pointed out. "Maybe Ruby."

"Ah."

"I have no idea how this town pretended to be from this world." Henry looked slightly perturbed.

Regina smiled gently at him. Granny was back quickly and she left the coffee in front of Regina and started cleaning the table behind them.

"This is good." Regina's words were out before she had time to think about them. "What is it? It tastes familiar."

"Oh, I just added a little cinnamon." Granny smiled and went back to the counter.

Regina nearly huffed and puffed and blew the diner down.

"How did _Ruby_ hear that I, uhrm." Regina considered the delicacy of the situation too late, and she blushed her way through her next sentence. "Only Emma was nearby when I mentioned the cinnamon... thing." Oh no. She really didn't mean to discuss her love life with her pre-teen child.

"Werewolf hearing?" Henry shrugged with a sly smile on his face. His smile turned genuine the doorbell tinkled and the rest of his family entered.

The prodigal family opened their arms for him and Regina looked away as Henry ran up to embrace Emma. She wasn't jealous, not anymore, truly. More like she didn't think she could look at Emma without some very inappropriate thoughts about carrying on that kiss and seeing where it went without an audience.

Regina distracted herself by turning on her phone and staring at the sheer amount of missed calls from Robin Hood. She quietly slipped outside to reply but got no answer from his number.

"You okay Mom?" Henry asked as he sat down next to her.

Regina smiled at him. "Oh, I was just trying to phone Robin back, I had a few calls from him. I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he is. I saw him and Marian with Roland on the way here."

"I'm glad." Henry looked dubious, so Regina continued. "I really am."

"You mean that." Henry said happily.

"I do," Regina beamed back at her son. "Turns out my true love was...not him," Regina finished, well aware of the implications her sentence left. However, Henry's gaze had fallen behind Regina, and she turned to see Emma step out of the diner.

"Hey kid," Emma walked towards them. "Hey Regina."

"Emma," Regina nodded. She didn't mean to be so standoffish, but all of a sudden she felt warm, and her heart started beating faster. She walked away from them in the direction of the diner but hid behind a small tree, thinking she'd just cool down for a moment.

She could hear Henry and Emma's laugh, and she only listened for the briefest of moments, but it was enough.

"Well, Henry? She's not going to curse me, force me to do her bidding or anything?"

Regina's mind suddenly filled with images that were not conductive to cooling down.

* * *

Regina went back inside to finish her coffee; she would not be intimidated out of Granny's, even if she knew her every action was currently being scrutinised and second-guessed outside by her son and her- and his other mother.

Regina was about halfway through her coffee when she felt a brush of warm breath down her neck.

"So, I heard you like cinnamon in your coffee now."

Regina shivered at the feel of Emma's voice and immediately became insecure. How could someone have this effect on her? She snapped, "So you're just going to start sneaking up behind me and muttering lines that sound like they're from a porno?

Emma raised her eyebrow. "I was actually just trying to make conversation. But if you want to see it that way..."

Regina met Emma's eyes and tried not to waver when she replied, "Meet me at my house, for dinner."

Emma raised her eyebrow but nodded, thankfully without any sarcastic commentary with her nod. She left Regina to her table

Regina finally let out the breath she was holding when she realised Snow White and a rather uncomfortable-looking David were sat opposite her.

"We'd like to know about your intentions towards our daughter." Snow White folded her arms and exuded the same level of intimidation as Regina would get from particularly fluffy rabbit.

It didn't stop Regina disappearing in a plume of purple smoke.

* * *

Regina had just put the lasagne in the oven when she heard Emma knocking on the door. It was a Sheriff's knock, but it wasn't David's because it didn't let up until Regina was forced to open the door in her apron.

"Emma," Regina said pointedly.

"You remember my name. And they say the course of true love never runs smoothly."

"Come in, Ms Swan," Regina said with a smirk. She turned on her heel without bothering to see if Emma was following her. Her arrogance from a lifetime of royalty, beauty and power meant that Regina assumed that people did as she said.

So she really didn't expect Emma to tug her back by the strings dangling from her apron. Regina let out an undignified yell as she all but flew into Emma's embrace.

"WHAT are you doing?" Regina demanded.

"You make the most delicious noises." Emma yanked the apron from her over her head. "Getting this started. Your move." Emma's blue eyes were laughing slightly at the memory of their lesser days and Regina sighed.

Emma stepped away cautiously. "That's meant to get you going, not put a dampener on things."

Regina felt her heart beat again in a way she truly hadn't felt since Daniel as she admitted, "Oh I just didn't really think about the true love bit of the kiss, just the..."

"-Amazing chemistry of that kiss?" Emma asked with her eyebrow raised. "Let's worry about the deep stuff later."

Emma's lips were still pouted when Regina kissed her again.

Emma was the one to pull back this time, and Regina looked askew at her.

"You are far too snobby to have sex with me in a hallway. Bedroom."

* * *

Emma's hand was driving Regina towards Evil Queen mode again. They were still in bed, albeit with some underwear back on Regina, and facing each other. Emma's fingers were lightly tracing the dip before Regina's hipbone, just millimetres from where the fabric ended. Every few moments Emma would land the paltriest of touches on Regina's bare skin and Regina would hold her breath, hoping for more, and not getting it.

She was the Evil Queen, she should be in charge, especially in her own bed. With a rather vindictive voice, she asked a question. "So uh, what about Hook?

"Hook thinks I'm some kind of princess, the way he wanted to come with me after Marian was frozen, and the way he tried to defend me about you, I don't need that. I need you."

Emma's hand on her side was moving again, except instead of causing a dull arousal it had moved to Regina's stomach, and Regina could feel her nails lightly scraping along her stomach and getting lower. "God, I thought you were never going to-"

"Ever wear underwear in bed with me again, and I won't."

"And what if I'm cold?" Regina asked as she cocked her head and held Emma firmly away.

Regina felt a shock of thrill run through her as she realised Emma had come up with her happy ending, sneaking it into her heart.

A different kind of thrill shot through her as she realised Emma had snuck her way into Regina's body anyway. "You don't feel cold to me."

* * *

 _The title's from a kid's book called I Will Never Not Ever Eat A Tomato... I had to add the comma in. People have heard the saying 'a little bird told me', right? I tried searching if it was a common saying but couldn't really find out._

 _Thank you for reading!_


End file.
